Now that the NFL draft is over, John Elway, Brian Xanders and the Broncos must sit back and wait.

Hamstrung by the lockout, the Broncos can't sign undrafted free agents or veteran free agents until the NFL and the players union reach a new collective bargaining agreement or the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules to uphold a U.S. district judge's decision in favor of the players, whichever comes first.

Xanders, the Broncos' general manager, said Saturday night the team is ready to dive into free agency whenever it starts.

The Broncos have a list of targets in the pool of veteran free agents and, now that the draft is over, knowledge of exactly which positions need to be filled (ahem, defensive tackle).

Xanders and his scouting department also will go back over the draft board to see which players weren't selected and decide which of those players are worth signing.

"Once they tell us the rules, we are allowed to execute the plan," Xanders said. "We have a plan for free agency. We are ready for two systems."

Xanders is referring to the possibility the NFL will end up operating under 2010 rules, which leave players in their fourth or fifth years as restricted free agents, or the possibility that those players will be unrestricted. For the Broncos, that most affects defensive tackle Marcus Thomas and offensive tackle Ryan Harris, fifth-year players who were given original-round tenders in March — meaning a team would owe the Broncos a fourth- or a third-round pick, respectively, for signing Thomas or Harris.

Elway said Saturday night the Broncos hope Thomas returns. He said they see Thomas as a much better fit as an interior lineman in a 4-3 defense, which they will play this season.

The Broncos seem ready to move on without Harris, who had a stellar season in 2008 but struggled in 2009 and 2010 because of injuries and a system change. They drafted 320-pound Orlando Franklin, a run-blocking specialist from Miami, in the second round.

Xanders said if Harris returns, Harris and Franklin would compete at right tackle.

"May the best man win," Xanders said.

Elway's draft.

This draft was Elway's first as the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations.

"I was excited," said Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback. "I felt like I was playing a football game. I think that's why I was exhausted every night when I left."

He said the most excitement came when the "phones got hot" during the second round Friday as the Broncos were considering trade offers.

They ended up swapping picks with San Francisco, which moved up to draft Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Denver picked up two extra selections in the deal.

"You look at your board and it gets close to your pick who you want, and you're hoping they fall to where you want. . . . I was up pacing, walking around, hoping the guy we want would fall to where we wanted it to," Elway said.

QB report.

The Broncos didn't select a quarterback with any of their nine draft picks. That made it clear they are ready to move forward with veteran Kyle Orton and 2010 first-round pick Tim Tebow as the top two quarterbacks on their roster.

Coach John Fox reiterated Saturday night that Orton remains ahead of Tebow, but he emphasized there is open competition at the position.

The Broncos spent a lot of time before the draft evaluating quarterbacks, including top-10 picks Cam Newton of Auburn and Blaine Gabbert of Missouri.

"We are going to look at all the quarterbacks again next year too. You can count on that," Elway said.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

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